Fifteen children under the age of 15 have now died in the UK from Strep A, new figures show.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have revealed that 15 children under 15-years have died, with 13 in England and one in Belfast, and another in Wales. No children have passed away in Scotland due to Step A.
Strep bacteria can cause a range of different infections that range from minor illnesses to deadly diseases. As the Daily Record reports, the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, but sometimes it can cause an illness called invasive Group A Streptococcal disease.
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Illnesses caused by Strep A include the skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever and strep throat. The UKHSA stresses while a lot of bugs and illnesses are no cause for alarm for parents, if the child is getting worse after a fever or respiratory infection, parents should talk to a health professional.
The UKHSA has said there is no current evidence that a new strain is circulating and the rise in cases is most likely due to high amounts of circulating bacteria and increased social mixing.
Since September, the UKHSA said there have been 652 reports of invasive Strep disease, higher than at the same points over the last five years. This season, there have been 85 cases in children aged one to four, compared to 194 cases in that age group across the whole of the last high season in 2017/2018. There have also been 60 cases in children aged five to nine.
This comes as NHS bosses issued warnings after clusters were found at schools across Ayrshire as health secretary Humza Yousaf said the number of infections across the country was on the rise.
Since September, 60 deaths have been reported across all age groups in England.
Dr Colin Brown, deputy director of the UKHSA, said: "Scarlet fever and 'strep throat' are common childhood illnesses that can be treated easily with antibiotics.
"Please visit NHS.uk, contact 111 online or your GP surgery if your child has symptoms of this infection so they can be assessed for treatment. Very rarely, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause more serious illness called invasive Group A strep.
"We know that this is concerning for parents, but I want to stress that while we are seeing an increase in cases in children, this remains very uncommon. There a lots of winter bugs circulating that can make your child feel unwell, that mostly aren't cause for alarm.
"However, make sure you talk to a health professional if your child is getting worse after a bout of scarlet fever, a sore throat or respiratory infection - look out for signs such as a fever that won't go down, dehydration, extreme tiredness and difficulty breathing."
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